I think I have settled on my nomination for Most Frightening Story of the Year. Given the current political climate, the competition for this prestigious title is ferocious but, having carefully assessed the many excellent candidates, I have to put this one forward as the front-runner:
A radical scheme to vaccinate children against future drug addiction is being considered by ministers, The Independent on Sunday can reveal.
Under the plans, doctors would immunise children at risk of becoming smokers or drug users with an injection. The scheme could operate in a similar way to the current nationwide measles, mumps and rubella vaccination programme.
What they mean is that it will be shuffled in under the same ‘health’ rubrics.
Childhood immunisation would provide adults with protection from the euphoria that is experienced by users, making drugs such as heroin and cocaine pointless to take. Such vaccinations are being developed by pharmaceutical companies and are due to hit the market within two years.
Note the use of the word ‘protection’. As if emotions are an affliction from which we need to be spared. I wonder what else can be neutralised? Hate? Love? Anger? Curiosity? Rebelliousness? Will this herald the age of ‘Stepford’ kids?
The Department of Trade and Industry has set up a special project to investigate ways of using new scientific breakthroughs to combat drug and nicotine addiction.
To add to all the carnage already caused by the psychotic Conservative drug war, it has now provided a legitimising ideology for these fantasies of chemical zombification.
This sounds only one step away from the scenario in Anthony Burgess’ novel “A Clockwork Orange” where the authorities trial a medical treament including injection of a drug that stops criminals from committing crime.
I haven’t looked into it, but it is likley that these drugs may have terrible long term side effects, if you are unable to feel euphoria you may never be able to be really happy, or fall in love or have orgasms. Would you want to sentence your child to a lifetime of “blah”?
Thinking about it is also probable that they may accuse any parent who does not “properly immunise their child” as an unfit parent or child abusers, since that sort of thing can happen if you don’t get your child vaccinated against the normal diseases.
The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.
This has got to be somebody’s spoof.
I don’t know which is a scarier thought – that the left will support in this under the guise of ‘helping potential future victims,’ or the right will get behind it to ‘protect family values’ or to ‘save the children from temptation.’
BTW – ‘Welcome to the Monkey House’ is the first reference that came to mind for me.
“Providing adults with protection from euphoria”
Words.
Just.
Fail.
As a card carrying member of the Conservative/Libertarian Right, I wouldnt let my kids anywhere near this monstrosity. You cannot protect virtue by eliminating free will.
Apart from that I would be deeply concerned about the side effects of any drug powerful enough to have such an effect.
This has got to be a joke. The clinical trials of any such drug would have to run for decades. Given an increasing number of parents fail to immunise their children against known terrible diseases, I really cant imagine this sort of fluffy insanity ever taking hold. I dont read the independent – I know why.
George Orwell, 1984 (Link)
“What else can be neutralised?”
well, since you asked…
I haven’t looked into it, but it is likley that these drugs may have terrible long term side effects, if you are unable to feel euphoria you may never be able to be really happy, or fall in love or have orgasms. Would you want to sentence your child to a lifetime of “blah”?
I don’t think that’s possible with the treatments I’ve seen described in New Scientist etc… What this does it block the bodies’ ability to respond well to opiates, so you don’t get high.
While this is perfectly “natural”, lots of people have different responses to opiates it strikes me as utterly disgusting from a liberty perspective.
Surely it would be better offered to addicts on request should they ask?
Anyone seen Equalibrium?
It is a film about a society that takes a drug to prevent themselves feeling emotions because they believe emotions are the cause of all evil in humanity. The police are sent out to detect those who haven’t been taking their anti-emotion drugs and are feeling. Naturally, the punishment for emotions is death.
Needless to say, their entire society falls apart!
This reminds me of a procedure inflicted upon young girls in certain cultures.
I’m not sure what’s more frightening: the idea itself or the straight-faced way it is reported, complete with committees saying things like, “There is no reason to think this would not be a starter or beneficial.”
*Shudder*.
The mechanism I saw described related to nicotine. They prod the body into reacting to nicotine, so the immune systems gloms onto it. This makes the molecules too big to pass the blood brain barrier (a biochemist I’m not, I hope I didn’t mangle that too badly).
Which probably means this kind of approach to heroin wouldn’t blunt the body’s own endorphins, as they originate in the brain and don’t have to pass the barrier. Would it also blunt the pain relieving role of opiates? Brrrr.
If somebody had snuck up one me when I was a smoker and jabbed me with this stuff, I hate to think what grotesque procedure I would’ve been willing to endure…ehhhh…it doesn’t bear thinking of.
What this does it block the bodies’ ability to respond well to opiates, so you don’t get high.
You also don’t get treated for pain. But of course, effective pain treatment is being outlawed anyway.
“The clinical trials of any such drug would have to run for decades.”
Well, no.
They are already drugging children with Ritalin, without any decades long clinical trials or a good understanding of what the drug does and what it’s long term effects might be.
Oh.
My.
God.
I sincerely hope word of this monstrosity spreads, assuming it’s not a joke. I’m putting it over on my blog, ShenzhenRen immediately. Hopefully, if enough independents point out the moral monstrosity of this, it will quietly fail.
Best,
Sam